Baked Hake with Lemon and Herbs (Printable)
Tender hake fillets baked with fresh herbs and bright lemon. Light, fragrant, and ready in 30 minutes.
# What You'll Need:
→ Fish
01 - 4 hake fillets (about 5.3 oz each), skinless and boneless
02 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
→ Aromatics & Herbs
03 - 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
04 - 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
05 - 1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped
06 - 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
07 - Zest of 1 lemon
08 - Juice of 1 lemon
→ Seasonings
09 - 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
10 - 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
11 - 1/4 teaspoon chili flakes (optional)
→ Garnish
12 - Lemon wedges
13 - Extra fresh herbs
# How-To Steps:
01 - Preheat oven to 400°F. Lightly grease a baking dish with olive oil.
02 - Place hake fillets in the prepared baking dish in a single layer.
03 - In a small mixing bowl, combine olive oil, minced garlic, parsley, dill, thyme, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and chili flakes if using.
04 - Spoon herb and lemon mixture evenly over hake fillets, ensuring complete coverage.
05 - Bake in preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes, until fish is opaque and flakes easily with a fork.
06 - Transfer to serving plates and garnish with extra fresh herbs and lemon wedges. Serve immediately.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- The lemon-herb mixture creates this gorgeous crust on the fish that makes everyone think you spent hours in the kitchen, when really it took about 10 minutes of actual work.
- The delicate flavor of hake takes on the aromatics beautifully without being overpowering, making it perfect for those skeptical about seafood dishes.
02 -
- Overcooking is the enemy with hake, I learned this the hard way when I got distracted by a phone call and returned to fish that had gone from silky to rubbery.
- The residual heat continues cooking the fish even after you take it out of the oven, so remove it when it's just shy of done.
03 -
- If your fish fillets vary in thickness, fold the thinner end under itself to create even thickness throughout, ensuring everything cooks at the same rate.
- Adding the lemon juice to the herb mixture rather than directly onto the fish prevents the proteins from starting to cook before they hit the oven, which can make the texture unpredictable.